Ever Wonder? What Makes Some Wines Sweet?

In wines, there is a wide spectrum of sweetness. Those that are not sweet are referred to as “dry” wines while those that are sweet are simple referred to as “sweet” wines. And, in the wine world, this all has to do with ‘residual sugar.’

When wine grapes are ready for harvest, one of the primary indicators to the winemakers is their sugar content. Using a device called a refractometer, they are able to analyze a drop of grape juice and determine its sugar content. By passing light through the juice and measuring the refraction (i.e., the amount that the light bends), the sugar content can be measured. This is referred to as Brix.

So, in simple terms, when the grapes are ready to be harvested they have ‘just the right amount’ of sugar. Anyone who’s had a glass of grape juice with breakfast knows that grape juice is naturally sweet. And, this natural sugar in the grape juice is the key to fermentation. Yeast is added to the grape juice and the live yeast feed on the sugar and converts it to alcohol. And, in general terms, once all the sugar is eaten up, fermentation ends.

But, wine makers have some control over this process. They can allow fermentation to go to the end which means that there is little to no ‘residual sugar’ in the juice that’s now wine. This is the ‘dry’ wine. But, if the fermentation is halted, or only a small amount of yeast is added to the juice, the wine ends up with significant ‘residual sugar.’ And, this results in a ‘sweet’ wine.

That’s a quick overview of sweetness in wine. For further reading, check out these past blogs:

Behind the Cork™ - Chile's Coastal Sauvignon Blancs (Part 2)

Chile’s Coastal Sauvignon Blancs

Chile’s Sauvignon Blancs are notably diverse, with the finest identified with the country’s coastal and cool-climate regions.

These are not standard supermarket Sauvignon Blancs by any measure, but wines of personality and nuance. More reasons to take a new look at Chilean Sauvignon Blanc include the rapid advances in the country’s winemaking culture during the past decade, and expansion into a growing number of new regions and terroirs.

Here are four more excellent examples of Chile’s coastal Sauvignon Blancs:

2020 Casas del Bosque La Cantera Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

La Cantera is from the Casablanca Valley of Chile. The grapes come from “La Cantera” or “The Quarry” on an east-facing hillside with plenty of exposure to the sun and the marine breezes that characterizes the Casablanca Valley. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts. It was then left for a few weeks on its gross lees (without stirring) before being blended, clarified and filtered. This wine is straw in color with aromas of citrus, green apple and grass. On the palate it has bright flavors of pineapple and citrus with good acidity.

2020 Viña Garcés Silva Amayna Sauvignon Blanc ($25)

This wine is from the Leyda Valley which is just 8.6 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It was fermented for 10 to 15 days in stainless steel and kept on lees for six months. It is straw in color with very light citrus and herbal aromas. On the palate it is bright with grapefruit flavor and subtle herbal notes and finishes with a very slight hint of salinity. The six months on lees makes for a smooth mouthfeel and additional richness.

2021 Viña Koyle Costa La Flor Sauvignon Blanc ($18)

This Koyle Costa La Flor is from the Leyda Valley of Chile from slopes located just 5.6 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The winemaker finds these slopes uniquely situated to catch all the saltiness from the sea and unique minerals from the ancient coastal soils. It is straw in color with delicate aromas of pear and green vegetables. On the palate it has pear, pineapple and citrus notes and a bright acidic finish.

2021 Viña Tabalí Talinay Sauvignon Blanc ($24)

This wine from the Limarí Valley just 7.5 miles from the coast next to the Fray Jorge National Park which is an area that UNESCO has declared a World Biosphere Reserve. It was fermented in stainless steel then subjected to daily stirring to bring out the full character of the wine. It is straw in color with delicate aromas of pear and green vegetables. It has bright acidity, subtle notes of citrus and a hint of tartness.

These are all wonderful Sauvignon Blanc wines from the coast of Chile as were those featured in Part 1. Look for these and other super Sauvignon Blanc wines widely available from Chile’s coastal region. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by the Wines of Chile (WOC) -- Vinos de Chile -- a non-profit, private organization of Chilean wine producers and the noted wineries of Chile via Creative Palate Communications

The Italian Lacrima Wine Grape

The Lacrima (lak-kree-mah) grape variety is one that I recently came across in a rosé blend. It is a native grape from the Marche region of Italy.

It is also known by the name of the wine that is used produce - Lacrima di Morro d'Alba.

The name of the grape seems to have derived from the fact that the berries, when ripe, ooze juice droplets that appear as tears (lacrima means tear in Italian). This is one of the reasons that the variety has had such a decline in the early 20th Century – the split grapes attract pests and diseases and were largely replaced by grape varieties that were easier to cultivate. But, there has been a recent rediscovery of the Lacrima grape and it is being replanted.

It has a black berry, with thick and consistent, blue-black colored skin. It produces intense ruby red wines with purple hues. The nose can be aromatic with notes of violets. With age, it can develop notes of strawberry, cherry, blackberries and blueberries. Lacrima di Morro d’Alba is a medium bodied wine with smooth tannins. And, it also works very well as a blending grape. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato

Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato ($29.99)

Amy Ezrin, the founder of Sandy Giovese wines, was training to be an opera singer and lived in Italy for eight years. During this time, she found that she was an OK singer but was really good at speaking Italian and tasting wine. So, she got into the wine business.

She jokes that her alter ego was Sandy Giovese, which is a play on the name of one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, Sangiovese. And now, she’s introduced Sandy’s ‘sister’ Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato.

This Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato is a seriously good rosé that also happens to be a tremendous value.

Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato is produced from organically farmed grapes by blending 60% Sangiovese (the grape that is famous for Chianti wine), with 30% Merlot and 10% Lacrima. In case you weren’t familiar with the Lacrima grape, it’s a dark-skinned grape variety that is aromatic and richly flavored, with berry-dominated flavors. The word “lacrima” means tear or teardrop in Italian and is likely so named due to the fact that the berries tend to split, dripping juice down the outside of the bunch.

This wine is a beautiful medium salmon color with a delicate aroma of strawberries. On the palate it’s bigger than a typical rosé. It leans more toward being medium-bodied with richness and depth likely attributable to the blending that includes Merlot. It’s got nice, not over-powering, acidity and an easy finish.

Here’s yet another reason to try a box wine. This one is 3 liters of really nice wine for the price of a couple of bottles. And, it last for weeks (if you pace yourself!). All this make the Rosie Giovese Vino Rosato a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Sandy Giovese Wines (via Savona Communications)

Behind the Cork™ - Folk Machine White Light

2020 Folk Machine White Light ($17)

At Folk Machine (started in 2005), from Hobo Wines, they state that their goals have stayed the same “…we still think it is fun, easy drinking, summery, and affordable. Our goals have stayed the same - bottle something fresh with acid and some mineral and retain that sort of salty, briny character that the Tocai Friulano.”

The 2020 White Light is 51% Tocai Friulano from Mendocino, 22% Riesling from Arroyo Seco, 22% Verdelho from Suisun Valley, 5% Sauvignon Blanc from Potter Valley.

They state that everything was picked at the beginning of the season with brix numbers ranging from 19˚ to 21˚. The final wine is 12.2% alcohol. Each variety was fermented individually in stainless steel tanks without commercial yeast and kept at a cool fermentation temperatures. When the fermentation was complete, they filtered the wine and left it in stainless steel until it was bottled.

The Folk Machine White Light is pale gold in color with delicate, muted aromas. On the palate it has a soft mouthfeel, almost a bit oily. It has sweet flavors of pear, baked apple and pineapple with medium acidity and a bit of tartness on the finish.

They claim that “White Light was inspired by a trip to the vortexes of Sedona, Arizona, but maybe a little Velvet Underground too.” Regardless, it’s a great fit for the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster 401 West Communications, STOMPY and Hobo Wines